Deactivating lamp disposal device



Dec. 30, 1958 J. B. HALL 2,866,604

DEACTIVATING LAMP DISPOSAL DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 19, 1957 i I. 4 6 [L 1| (9 BY ATTORNEY Dec. so, 1958 J. B. HALL 2,866,604

DEACTIYATING LAMP DISPOSAL DEVICE Filed June 19, 195'! 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY ATTORNEY Dec. .30, 1958 J. B. HALL 2,866,604

DEACTIVAT-ING LAMP DISPOSAL DEVICE Filed June 19, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR Jesse 5. Hall the 2,866,604 DEACTIVATING LAMP DISPOSAL DEVICE Jesse 13. Hall, Washington, D. C.

Application June 19, 1957, Serial No. 666,789

6 Claims. (Cl. 24199) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon, in accordance with the provisions of Title 35, United States Code, Section 266, 66 Stat. 811.

This invention is a modification and improvement of the invention disclosed in my Patent 2,628,036 granted February 10, 1953 for Deactivating Lamp Disposal Plant. In that patent, there is described a plantfor the harmless disposal of fluorescent and incandescent lamps after such lamps have ceased to be operative and therefore have to be destroyed. The lamps'are fed into a housing containing a rotary breaker and are crushed or brokenwith adequate provision for the harmless disposal of the mass of small glass fragments and crushed terminals while eliminating the hazards to operators and others from poisonous dust, powder, gas andflying particles of glass.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide animproved means for feeding the lamps to the crushing chamber without touching the hands of the operator as well as increasing the capacity of the machine.

A further object is an arrangement of parts in the disposal unit so that the crusher while operating. is completely closed in and the required floor space is kept to a minimum.

A still further object is to provide anautomatic water dispenser to the crusher that uses water only while the lamps are actually in the process of being crushed.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a machine viewed from the position of the operator;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation, viewed .from the side opposite the operator, with themagazine for the tubes in initial loading position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sideelevation similar to Fig. 2 with the magazine for the tubes in final discharging position;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of .Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail top view of the sliding connection of the magazine in intermediate position over the discharge opening;

Fig. 8 is a view in front elevation partly in fragmentary section of a modified form;

Fig. 9 is a view in side elevation and partly in fragmentary section;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line Iii-10 of Figure 8;

Fig. 11 is a detail section on the line 11.11 of Fig. 10.

Referring to Figures 1-7, the disposal unit is supported on a platform 1 provided with legs 2 which may be adjustable as to height. On' the platform 1 is 'an electric motor 2a, with a control switch 2b, a drive shaft 3 for rotating the breaker 4 that is provided with breaker arms 5. The breaker shaft3 is rotatably supported by the walls 6 and 7 of the breaker casing 8. Also'rotated by the shaft 3 is a turbine fan 9 which rotates in the fan casing 10, drawing air in along the axis and expelling air at the periphery. Secured to the extension 11 of the fan casing 10 is an air inlet pipe 12. The breaker casing 8 is provided with a feed-in opening 13 and a discharge opening .14.

Above the platform 1 is an inclined supporting and guiding member 15 for the magazine 16 in which the tubes 17 to be destroyed are contained. The member 15 is secured to the'verticalstructural members 18 at the upper end and at the lower end is securely supported on and above the breaker casing 8. Adjacent the opening 13 in the breaker casing 8 is a feed water pipe 19 with apertures 20 that spraywater intothe breaker casing 8 thru slot 22whenthe breaker is operating. The pipe 19 is connected to a garden hose *21'for feeding water into the pipe 19. The supporting member 15 is provided with a rectangular feed opening 23 thatmatches the opening inthe breaker casing 8. The supporting member 15 is provided with channelguides 24. Reciprocating on the support. 15 is a shoe 25, the-edges of which engage the channel guides 24.

The lower end of the metal magazine 16 is rigidly secured to the shoe 25 by rivets 27, so that as the shoe reciprocates the magazine accordingly reciprocates. For reciprocating the shoe, a toggle joint movement may be employed. One link 28 is pivotally connected atone end to'the member 29 that is rigidly secured to the shoe 25 and at the other end is pivotally connected to the link '30, which is integral with they shaft 31 which is rotatable in bearings on the supports 18. A manually operated handle 33 integral with the shaft 31 reciprocates the magazine 16 on-the supporting member '15 from loading position'Figures 1 and 2 to discharging position, Fig. 3.

The shoe 25 is of .such length that in the loading position,lF ig. 1, it closes the opening 23 in the member 15. As'the shoe moves toward the uprights 18 it uncovers the opening'23to permit the tubes 17 to fall progessive- 1y by gravity into the breaker 4.

The water pipe 19 is provided with a hand operated valve 34 and a magazine operated valve .35. Depending from the member 36 whichis secured to member 29 and the bottom of the magazinev 16 are spring fingers 37 and 38. '.With valve "35 in closed position, Fig. 2, and the magazine 16 in loading position, as the magazine moves up the guide 15 .to discharging position, the finger 37 turns the valve .35 to'open position, Fig. 3. As the magazine, after discharging, returns to loading position, the finger '38 contacts the handle of the valve 35 and rotates it to closed position. By this arrangement, water is fed into the breaker casing 9 only while the tubes or bulbs are being crushed.

Thev air inlet 12 is connected by a flexible hose 39 to the lower end of the magazine 16 which is provided with an air outlet40. I

Rigidly connected to one side of the fan casing 10 is an outlet pipe .42 connected with an air inlet pipe 41 leading into the casing 8. The turbine fan 9 draws air, gas and powder out of the magazine 16 thru opening 40 and flexible hose 39 and forces them into the breaker casing 8 in contact with the water spray in the breaker casing, discharging them into .the receptacle 43 below the platform 1. a

The magazine 16is designed to fit the standard size carton which normally contains twenty-four new fluorescent tubes. The magazine has a door 44 hinged thereto and at its bottom is'partly closed in by the panel 45. The magazine and the containing carton is designed to accept fluorescent lamps up to "96 inch slimlinein 10 to 100 watt sizes. When disposing of incandescent bulbs, the magazine is closed by the closure 45a which is hinged to the top of the magazine. A stop 46 limits the outward swing of the closure. The magazine 16 will accept to 500 watt incandescent bulbs.

In disposing of the used fluorescent tubes 17 they are packed in the cartons 47 in which the new tubes have been received. The carton with the open end down and the closed end up is then inserted in the magazine. When disposing of incandescent bulbs without cartons, the lid 45a closes the upper end of the magazine 16.

In operating the disposal unit Figures 1 to 7, the carton of used tubes is inserted in the magazine 16 and the door 44 closed, the magazine being in the loading position, Fig. 1. When using the unit, the operator pulls down gradually the handle 33 from its position, Figs. 1 and 2 to its position, Fig. 3. This causes the magazine 16 to move up the inclined support 15. As it moves up the inclined support, the open lower end of the magazine 16 and the carton 47 overlie the opening 23 in the support and the tubes drop by gravity into the breaker casing 8 and are crushed by the breaker arms 5 and pass out through the discharge opening 14 into the receptacle 43. As the magazine rides up the inclined support 15, the spring finger 37 opens the water valve 35 to spray water into the breaker chamber 8 during the crushing operation. On lifting the handle 33 to its upper position, with return of the magazine to loading position, the spring finger 38 closes the water valve 35.

Since the movement of the magazine 16 up the inclined support is gradual, the tubes drop progressively into the breaker. The opening 23 in the member 15 is at all times covered either by the shoe 25 or the overlying tubes and closed carton upper end, so that there is no escape of air, gases or powder. Any gases or powder from the breaker chamber 8 or in the magazine chamber 16 are drawn into the fan chamber 10 then fed through pipe 42 and pipe 41 into the breaker chamber 8 where they are absorbed by the water and discharged into receptacle 43.

Referring to the modification of Figs. 8-11, the tube magazine is vertical and stationary instead of being inclined and movable as in the form disclosed in Figs. 1-7.

The disposal unit is supported on a platform 50. The breaker 51 is driven by the electric motor 52 controlled by the switch 53. Within the breaker chamber is the rotor 54 provided with breaker arms 55.

Secured to the upper end of the feed chute 56 is the guide plate 64 provided with parallel guides 65 along its sides and secured to the guide plate is the magazine 63. Mounted on the feed chute 56 are hand operated rotary gears 67 that mesh with racks 68 on the underside of the reciprocating plate 69. In loading position, the plate 69 closes the discharge opening in the bottom of the maga- Zinc 63. By hand rotating the gears 67, plate 69 gradually uncovers the opening in the bottom of the magazine 63 and the glass tubes drop by gravity into the breaker chamber.

During the breaking, water jets are sprayed into the breaker chamber through Water pipe 57. Valve 69a in the water pipe is opened while the tubes are being crushed and then closed. This is done by providing flexible fingers 70 and 71 carried by the bracket 72 which is secured to theunderside of the movable plate 69, the finger 70 opening the valve and the finger 71 closing the valve, in the same manner as disclosed in Figs. 2 and 3.

Rising air, gases and powder are exhaustedthrough the opening 62 in the magazine 63 by the turbins fan 58, driven by the electric motor 59, through a conduit 60 and fedinto a receptacle similar to Fig. 1.

.dispensed with.

In starting the operation, the door 73 of the magazine is opened, the carton of tubes is inserted with the open end down, the door is closed, the breaker 51 is started, the plate 69 is moved in the guides to uncover progressively the open end of the magazine until all the tubes are discharged into the breaker. The movement of the plate 69 is then reversed to close the open end of the magazine and the unit is then ready for another carton of tubes.

In both forms of the disposal unit, there is a closed internal fluid circuit from the point of feeding in the tubes or bulbs until their discharge in a crushed condition after leaving the breaker. By this construction the operator is protected against the escape of powder and any obnoxious gases.

I claim:

l. A disposal device for glass fluorescent lamp tubes, 2 breaker for the tubes comprising a breaker casing, breaker elements in the casing, a feed-inopening in the casing, a magazine supported in an upright position on top of the casing and enclosing a carton with a closed upper end and an open lower end, a discharge opening in the lower end of the magazine, the discharge opening in the lower end of the carton registering with the opening in the end of the magazine, the opening in the magazine in discharging position communicating with the feedin opening in the breaker casing, a reciprocating closure for the openings and means for uninterruptedly opening the closure from a closed position to an open position, a discharge opening from the breaker casing and means for spraying water into the breaker chamber.

2. A disposal device for glass fluorescent lamp tubes, a breaker for the tubes comprising a breaker casing, breaker elements in the casing, a feed-in opening in the casing, a magazine supported in an upright position on top of the casing and enclosing a carton, a discharge opening in the lower end of the magazine, a discharge opening in the lower end of the carton registering with the opening in the end of the magazine, the opening in the magazine in discharging position communicating with the feed-in opening in the breaker casing, a reciprocating closure for the openings and means for uninterruptedly opening the closure from a closed position to an open position, a discharge opening from the breaker casing, a water pipe for feeding water into the breaker casing and means connected with the movement of the closure for turning on the water while the closure is opening and turning olf the water when the openings are in closed position.

3. A disposal device for glass lamps comprising a breaker casing, a feed-in opening and a discharge opening in the casing, a magazine supported in an upright position on top of the casing, a discharge opening in the lower end of the magazine, the opening in the magazine in discharging position communicating with the feedin opening in the breaker casing and a reciprocating closure for the openings, means for uninterruptedly opening the closure from a closed position to an open position, a second opening in the magazine, a conduit connecterto the-second opening, a fan in the conduit for exhausting air, gases and powder from the magazine and discharging them into the discharge opening and ing the closure from a closed position to an open posimeans for spraying water into the breaker chamber.

4. A disposal device for glass lamps comprising a breaker casing, a feed-in opening anda discharge opening in the casing, a magazine supported in an upright position on top of the casing, a discharge opening in the lower end of the magazine, the opening in the magazine in discharging position communicating with it the feedin opening in the breaker casing and a reciprocating closure for the openings, means for uninterruptedly opention, .a second opening in the magazine, a conduit con- .nected to the second opening, a fan in the conduit for pipe for feeding water into the breaker casing and means connected with the movement of the closure for turning on the water while the closure is opening and turning off the water when the openings are in closed position.

5. A disposal device for glass fluorescent tubes including a breaker for the tube embodying a casing with a feed opening and a discharge opening, a magazine supported in an upright position on top of the casing adapted for the reception of a carton, the magazine having an opening in register with an opening in the lower end of the carton and also adapted to register with the feed opening of the casing, a reciprocating closure for said opening, means for uninterruptedly opening the closure and means for spraying water into the breaker casing.

6. The disposal device of claim 5 with the addition of means in communication with the casing for forcing air,

gases and powder through the discharge opening of the casmg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Engineering News Record, April 4, 1949, volume 142, issue 15, page 64. 

